UPDATE: FREE SHIPPING

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, we encouraged our customers to stay home and be active by offering free shipping on all 3D printed orders. In these times, Australia Post has been extremely overwhelmed by the number of online orders throughout Australia resulting in a 3-5 day delay on the majority of deliveries.

We will endeavor to try our best in providing ongoing customer service, however, if you require your order to be delivered within a certain timeframe, please get in contact with us before ordering so that we can advise on the most ideal plan.

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We will continue to provide FREE SHIPPING whilst this pandemic is ongoing but in the meantime please be lenient with shipping times, your order will arrive. Thank you!

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What is 3D Printing?

Considered the next manufacturing revolution, 3D Printing is the process of creating complex 3-dimensional objects from 2-dimensional models. See why thousands of industries are already adopting this revolutionary technology and why you should too

KAD3D Presents

The 3D Printing

Master Class

Free eBook

Chapter 1

Introduction To

3D Printing

The idea of creating an object from thin air was fictional only to sc-fi movies and ideologists three decades ago. Now it’s real. 3D printing allows you to have your idea realized in a three-dimensional object through the process of additive manufacturing at an affordable price and in a short time frame. 3D objects are created by laying down thin layers of material in succession, one at a time until the object is completely built.

The manufacturing industry is terming this technology as the “next industrial revolution” due to the many industries it can bring benefits into. One example being customized manufacturing on-demand by minimizing the need for ordinary industry processes, such as producing an object through an assembly line consisting of various small components.

At Kad3D, we believe 3D printing is the future of manufacturing in Australia and every school, business or creative individual should have an understanding of this concept and how it works. Our values are quality, speed and customer satisfaction by providing 3D printing Melbourne services targeting all of Australia. Whether you need something 3D designed, 3D printed or looking to get into 3D printing, get in contact with us today and let us show you how we can help and the HUGE benefits this new industry brings to Australia.

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How Is 3D Printing Different From Other Forms of Manufacturing?

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Typical forms of manufacturing are termed “subtractive” and require a solid piece of material to be cut away (mill, lathe, drill, cut) whilst 3D printing is termed “additive” in that material is added, layer by layer, until a part is created. 3D printing is the procedure by which a CAD (computer-aided design) model is used to create a three-dimensional model by laying down thin layers of material until an object is formed. Each layer represents a thin, flat cross-section of the specific CAD model adding up to make a 3D object.

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Chapter 2

10 Reasons Why You Should Consider 3D Printing Your Design

3D printing enables users to transform a thought/concept into reality in hours rather than weeks. Many industries have embraced 3D printing while innovative practices are emerging each day. Additive printing technology can provide numerous benefits both for individuals and businesses alike. Here are some of the most significant benefits that 3D printing provides: ​​​

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1. Faster Production

3D printing is a lot faster than traditional manufacturing which includes injection moulds and subtractive production. That’s like comparing the speed of a sports car versus that of a horse. From a prototype to a final product, 3D printing tests ideas and designs quickly. Fast 3D printing allows for faster re-iterative testing and to provide the best fit for customers and consistent product evolution.

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2. Improved Quality

Traditional manufacturing methods can easily result in poor designs, and therefore poor quality prototypes due to human negligence or error. 3D printing allows the step-by-step assembly of the object via CAD, which guarantees enhanced designs and eventually better quality objects.

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3. Cost-effectiveness

Labor costs play a huge role in determining the amount of money to be spent on developing a prototype. Labor costs are also very high with conventional subtractive manufacturing. You need experienced machine operators and technicians to handle the production. Also, you have to pay these laborers and use expensive machinery. With 3D printing, however, labor can be as little as one person issuing a print command.

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4. Tangible Design and Product Testing

3D printing allows you to test and retest due to fast printing ability to reach a perfect design. With 3D printing, it is possible to experience the touch and feel of the product prototype to physically test it and find flaws in the design. If a problem is found, you can modify the CAD file and print out a new version by the next day.

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5. Creative Designs and Customization Freedom

Traditional manufacturing is good at creating millions of copies of the same thing Making each design unique with these techniques is extraordinarily hard.3D printing allows for endless personalization, which makes it much simpler to accommodate personal touches that are requested from customers. Users’ imagination is the only limitation.

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6. Risk Reduction

When it comes to product manufacturing, a good designer knows that proper design verification is crucial before investing in an expensive molding tool. 3D printing technology enables product designers to verify product prototypes before starting on substantial manufacturing investments that can sometimes be disastrous.

Traditional manufacturing results in a lot of wasted resources. 3D printing only uses material that is needed to create a prototype part – no more, no less saving a company a lot of money.

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9. Health & Safety

Reduced health and safety risks if 3D printing can be used to produce assemblies that would otherwise need special equipment and precautions to be taken

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10. Learning Environment

Relatively a new technology in schools, 3D printing has the power to boost student engagement and interest.

Ultimately, though, it is a tool – much like a pottery kiln, a woodshop lathe, or a glue gun.

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If it were possible for art students to simply download clay models and place them in the kiln, the learning would be very limited! A pottery kiln only has learning value in so far as it allows the student to end up with something tangible and creative from their design. What does 3D printing add that a pottery kiln, a woodshop lathe, or a stapler does not?

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3D printing takes a wholly abstract design (a 3D representation of an object in the form of a model) and makes it tangible very directly. Highly specialized handcrafting skills are removed from the process. The student need only learn the modelling process and understand a few constraints of the 3D printing process. This direct path from abstract to tangible also allows favors an iterative approach to prototyping. If the first print reveals a flaw or shortcoming in the design, the student can return to the 3D model and improve it before printing again.

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Chapter 3

5 Most Popular 3D Printing Methods

Over time, various 3D printing techniques have been developed to build 3D structures and objects. These processes have advantages and disadvantages depending on the application they are applied to.

Following is a list of the most common technologies used in 3D printing today:

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1. Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM)

FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) is currently the most popular 3D printing technology and used in both affordable 3D printers and even 3D pens. 3D printers that use FDM Technology construct objects layer by layer from the very bottom up by heating and extruding thermoplastic filament. FDM is the only 3D printing technology that uses production-grade thermoplastics, so items printed have excellent mechanical, thermal and chemical attributes.

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2. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

During SLS, tiny particles of plastic, ceramic or glass are fused by heat from a high-power laser to form a solid, three-dimensional object. SLS is mostly used by manufactures instead of 3D amateurs at home as this technology requires using high-powered lasers, resulting in these printers being rather expensive.

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3. Stereolithography (SLA)

This process is the earliest one in the history of 3D printing, it is still in use today. It works by using a high-powered laser to harden liquid resin that is contained in a reservoir to create the desired 3D shape. SLA printing machines do not function like normal desktop printers that extrude some quantity of ink to the surface. SLA 3D printers operate with an excess of liquid plastic that after a while hardens and forms to a solid object.

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4. PolyJet (JETTING)

A PolyJet 3D printer works similar to an inkjet printer. Instead of jetting drops of ink, the printer jets drops of photopolymer that solidifies when exposed to UV light. These layers accumulate on the build tray until the part is complete.

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5. Metal Printing

Metal 3D printing is also becoming common now because of the extensive use of metal items. Metal 3D Printing is a laser-based technology that uses powdered metals. Similar to Laser Sintering, a high-powered laser selectively binds together particles on the powder bed while the machine distributes even layers of metallic powder.

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Chapter 4

5 Reasons Why You Should Own a 3D Printer

3D printing has the potential to be part of the solution to many personal and business challenges on a global scale.

If done right, buying a 3D printing for your home can be a modest contribution to these efforts. Some of the reasons why consumers should consider buying a 3d printer are as follows:

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1. Save Money

Users can save a lot of money by creating almost everything from smartphone cases to paper towel holders, reducing household expenses while adding a personal customized touch to their home.

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2. Create Unique and Personalised Objects

3D printing can help users create unique accessories and customized gifts for their friends and family.

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3. Quick Design Iterations

With a 3D printer, users don’t have to go through the waiting time for their products to arrive since they can almost build any personalized product.

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4. Education

3D printing is very interesting for children as it proves very helpful in educating them. Children can practically see a product building which helps them grasp different manufacturing processes.

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5. Environmentally Sustainable

This is probably the biggest advantage of 3D printing since it uses very little raw material and results in a minimal amount of wastes. In this way, 3D printing proves very beneficial for environmental sustainability.

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Chapter 5

Why Use A 3D Printing Service?

3D Printing Service Melbourne

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At Kad3D we offer a hassle-free 3D printing service in Australia. Simply upload your 3D model through our quotation system, choose your material, quality, and choice of colour to receive your FREE INSTANT QUOTE. Also, we offer free shipping Australia wide for your order and guarantee to have it 3D printed fast, 3 days to be exact.

If you need it in a hurry choose our fast 3D printing option (priority) and have it completed in 24 hours. We also service Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. If you require a 3D model to be designed, get in contact with us and we’ll help you realize your idea into a reality.

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Chapter 6

Glossary

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ABS

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic is used in common products such as Lego.

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CAD

An abbreviation for the term Computer-Aided Design used to describe a 3D model developed using computer modeling software. Examples are Solidworks, Google SketchUp, Autodesk Rhino, etc.

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extruding

In 3D modelling, the technique of “pulling” the face of a 2D shape upwards or outwards, so that it becomes a 3D prism.

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FDM

Fused Deposition Modelling printers are the most common type of 3D printer in schools, due to their relative affordability. FDM printers melt plastic filament and lay the melted plastic row-by-row, layer-by-layer to build up an object.

g-code

The list of instructions for a 3D printer to print an object.

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model

A digital 3D object before it is printed into a real object. The process of designing such an object on a computer or tablet is called modeling.

PLA

Polylactic acid plastic is a plant-based polyester. It is recommended for 3D printing in schools due to showing much lower particle emissions compared to ABS plastic.

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SLA

Stereolithography. A 3D printing method whereby resin is cured using a UV light layer by layer until an object is formed. This is usually done upside down using a tank full of liquid resin.

SLS

Selective Laser Sintering involves printers using a large bed of powder and a laser to solidify layers until a 3D model is formed in a bed of powder, typically nylon.

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slicing

The process where 3D printing software analyses the geometry in a model and prepares a list of instructions for a 3D printer to print the object. The list of instructions is stored as a g-code.

Most consumer 3D printers ship with proprietary software that incorporates slicing just before printing.

.stl file

A computer file with the extension STL. Each STL file stores the 3D geometry for a model. It is by no means the only file format for storing 3D geometry, but it is very common in the 3D printing world.

tolerance

In engineering, extra space between two parts (eg. a shaft in a hole) to allow for different kinds of movement.